Easter Traditions and the Hummingbird

Would it surprise you to hear that the hummingbird is sometimes considered a symbol of Easter?

Easter, which celebrates Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead is one of the most important Christian holidays. There are a number of traditions and symbols attached which surprisingly include the hummingbird.

Did you know that Easter was originally a Pagan festival? As least this is believed to be how it got it’s name. The ancient Saxons celebrated the return of spring commemorating their goddess of springtime, Eastre. This early name, Eastre, was later changed to the modern spelling, Easter.

Easter is considered to be a moving holiday. It is not celebrated at the same time every year. Today, it is always observed between March 24th and April 17th.

We do not have the exact dates for the centuries old religious holiday. We do know that the Pagan festival or Eastre occurred at basically the same time of year as the Christian observation of the Resurrection of Christ. Combining these two celebrations, our modern holiday is generally associated with spiritually of death and rebirth and the joy of springtime.    

Over the centuries, many customs and traditions have become a standard part of this holiday. Humankind loves symbolism. The symbols connected with Easter are often the same for springtime, warm weather, the return of the flowers, and the births of baby animals and birds.

On Easter itself, many Christian families dress in their finest brightly colored outfits for worship. The eyes of children alight at the sight of Easter Baskets filled with candied eggs and baby chicks. Eggs are a symbol for rebirth in most cultures.

Baby chicks born from eggs are a sign of fertility and springtime. As more and more people observe hummingbirds, they are beginning to  take on a greater significance in regard to spring. We just might stop to fill our feeders before heading off to church service. We look forward to the return of these beautiful birds and the flowers they soon will pollinate.

We like to know that in many cultures hummingbirds also have a powerful religious and spiritual significance in regard to Easter. In South America, in the high Andes, the hummingbird is considered to be the symbol of the resurrection because of "Torpor".

Hummingbirds live on the edge of survival. Hummingbirds are the smallest of all warm-blooded animals. An average hummingbird weighs only 0.1 to 0.3 ounces. Because of it’s small size it has an extraordinarily fast metabolism.

The heart rate of a hummingbird can reach 1,200 beats per minute. While in flight these birds beat their wings 2,000 to 3,000 times per minute. In order to maintain the metabolism of a hummingbird it must consume 1/2 it’s weight in food per day.

While it is great fun to watch such tremendous energy from such a tiny bird, they do need a tremendous amount of calories to keep their engines humming. It is the fate of the hummingbird to need "Torpor".

This hibernation-like state enables the small birds to conserve valuable energy to keep warm on cold nights. During Torpor the heart rate is slowed to about 1/15 of it’s normal rate. It might even drop to a mere 50-80 beats per minute.

As stated, the hummingbird must eat all day long to stay alive. "Torpor" is also helpful during periods of low food supply. The only problem with "Torpor" is that the hummingbird must warm it’s body the moment it wakes up. It shivers. The muscles contract and release very fast for about  an hour or so. After wards, the bird will fly immediately to your feeders or flowers to fill up an empty stomach. 

So we can guess, that  when the people of South America experienced this natural adaptation of the hummingbird returning from a death-like state back to life, it must have seemed like the miracle of the resurrection.

Today, with our knowledge of "Torpor" and it’s symbolism of rebirth, we can include one of our favorite birds, the hummingbird, in our thoughts during the upcoming Easter festivities.

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